日本因中日甲午戰爭取得勝利，自1895 年（明治28）以後臺灣成為日本所屬 的殖民地。在臺灣地區的全國百姓，由於受到如此空前的衝擊，不僅顛覆了昔日 中國傳統文人的思維，促進了民眾對新興事物的興趣，特別是廣大的知識份子， 對於日本為何能在明治維新之後，短短三十餘年的時間能夠打敗中國，進而躍居 世界強國。於是臺灣菁英航渡至日本展開吸收新知識；此時是臺灣菁英接觸異國 文化最為活躍的時期。臺灣傳統文人與留日學生前往日本，從他們所留下的記憶 書寫可見到在異國文化的種種，以及與日籍人士互動的情況。也由於臺灣菁英積 極的前往日本；彼此之間開始有深一層的認識與瞭解。在此情況下，臺灣與日本 之間的互動最是頻繁，這是近代臺灣史的轉捩點。在日本活動的過程中，雖然他 們遠離家鄉臺灣到陌生的日本時，曾經面臨諸種問題，困難重重，但在同鄉彼此 激勵，相互鼓勵，提攜後輩的情況下都能迎刃而解。再者，他們察覺到在日本生 活的過程中，與日本內地的日本人的相處，是與在臺灣的日人所不同的。

Taiwan became one of Japan’s colonies in 1895 as a result of Japan’s victory of the Sino-Japanese War. That transition altered Taiwan’s popular view of traditional scholarly Chinese thinking and spurred interest in the wider world. This was especially true among the intelligentsia who pondered how Japan in just three decades following the Meiji Restoration had successfully defeated China and became a world power. As Taiwanese scholars and students headed for Japan, they left behind their writings on their travels and their exchanges with the Japanese. Since the kind of Taiwanese who went to Japan were the elite who energetically sought knowledge, an in-depth understanding began to forge a unity of cultures. This interaction stands as a landmark in modern Taiwan history, a moment when Taiwan and Japan was closely connected. Although many Taiwanese encountered numerous difficulties when they first arrived, they weathered the tough times by bonding together to encourage each other, while the seniors helped the new comers. They also became aware of the difference between interacting with the Japanese in Japan as compared with those in Taiwan. This essay explores this Taiwan elite, those who either visited and studied in Japan, who accompanied them, how they found housing and their life experiences. It does so through the analysis of biography, memoirs and newspapers like the NichiNichi Shimbun that was daily published in Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period.